Infinite Earths
by Seikan no Sozo-ryoku
Summary: Smith Jones is on a mission: to map out the alternate universes and find out their histories, inhabitants and what's happening in them. The catch? He's not allowed to return home until his mission is done. The other catch? The universes are dangerous and unpredictable.
1. Earth-616

_Current Location: Earth-616, the Mainstream Marvel Universe._

Everyone's life leads up to one defining moment that shows who they are, how they'll leave their mark on the world. I didn't expect my mark to be so… huge.

I was standing in the middle of an empty steel clad room, the only sign of life was a heavily reinforced window in front of me. I could make out movement behind the window. A group of scientists hard at work, checking and rechecking information. Everything had to be perfect.

My name is Smith Jones… And if this experiment fails and these are my last words then I want people to know my story.

I love them. The superheroes. Yes I do, I think they are incredibly inspiring and they are important to the existence of man. Without them… the world would have died long ago. People see them as a danger to us, I disagree.

That's one of the reasons I was chosen for this experiment I suppose. My acceptance of them. The scientists tell me that'll prepare for me for anything else I might see during my travels. Oh yeah, my travels…

The existence of alternate worlds or universes is a shared fact by educated people. It's that simple. And these alternate _"Earths"_, as scientists refer to them, are like ours but with slight or large variations. My mission is simple, I am being sent to these "Earths" to observe them and to learn about them. Their history, their inhabitants, their current state, etc.

Maybe one day our world will get so screwed up that humanity will be able to move into one of these alternate Earths. That's what I think.

I'm scared. That's the truth. If I die out there, I'll be alone. No one by my side. The scientists have taken certain measures to make sure I don't die. I am to be given a special suit that should protect me from the dangers of the Earths and a companion to help me in my travels.

"Okay Smith, we're going to start preparing you now. 10 minutes until you _go_" said a soft voice on an intercom. That's what they called traveling to another universe, "going". Panels in the walls opened and robotic arms carrying expensive looking equipment came out. They quickly moved around my body, strapping the suit on me. A few minutes later I was in a flexible black armored suit with the numbers _616_ on the shoulder pad. I breathed in, the suit was comfortable.

"We are now ready for you to activate _Echo_." Said the voice again. I looked down at my left arm wrist. There was a small black screen there. I pressed a button and it quickly powered to life, a single blue electronic eye with the words Echo underneath it were staring at me. This would be my companion during the trip, the state of the art Echo Artificial Intelligence.

"Echo systems are normal, suit systems are normal… ready to go, Smith?"

I breathed out, "Yeah… I guess."

"Send the Wormhole Aperture Device." Another panel opened and a white circle watch shaped device came out. This would be how I traveled. They called it the Wormhole Aperture Device because Aperture means a hole or a gap. I just call it the "Can Opener".

I grabbed the Can Opener and fitted it on the same wrist where Echo was. The scientists watched me with anticipation. I looked at the watch. For all the scientific impossibilities that would be happening today, the watch looked incredibly simple. There were only 2 small buttons on it. A blue one to go to a different "Earth" and a red one to return home. I was only to press the red one after I had mapped out every world or if something catastrophic happened to me or Echo that would require me to return home.

"Ready when you are Smith."

I looked at the steel room again. I realized that this would be the last thing I saw of my world for a long time…

"Feeling nervous?" asked a woman's voice. It was Echo. I had talked to her a few times during the preparations for the mission and she was just here to help.

"Yes." I admitted. I looked at the window.

"I'm ready."

Yet another panel opened and a jet black helmet was handed to me by a robotic arm. I slowly put it on my head, it was light and the glass on it was almost indestructible. The helmet clicked and it locked into place.

"I must look like a generic sci-fi soldier," I said out loud. No laughs, not even a chuckle. The attitude was dead serious. I brought my wrist up.

"Here we go."

I moved my finger to the blue button, the scientists leaned forward to watch, a bead of sweat bled down my face and finally I pressed the button.

An eternity seemed to pass, then everything changed. A ball of light encircled me and the lights in the room exploded, the steel bended and broke down, the scientists ducked behind the glass but kept watching.

Then everything disappeared.


	2. No Heroes

It's not like science fiction shows and movies depict teleporting. There was no vortex or travel across space and time. One moment I was in the steel room and the next moment everything changed to a different setting.

The scientists had programmed the Can Opener to teleport me to somewhere inconspicuous for whenever I arrived at a new Earth so it had taken me to a grimy New York alley.

I felt something rising in my chest and I quickly took my helmet off and ran behind a dumpster. I threw up. It was an effect of my first time "universe-hopping", the scientists had told me this would probably happen. I looked around. It didn't look any different than Earth-616. I brought my wrist up.

"Echo, what… what universe is this?"

Echo beeped as she talked, "This is _Earth-26_."

"Earth-26." I repeated slowly, then I chuckled, then I laughed.

"What is it, Smith?" she asked. I kept laughing.

"It just hit me… we're in a different universe… Wow…" I held my arms out and looked around in wonder. Echo said nothing.

"I believe it's time to explore this world." I said. I was about to step out of the alley when Echo reminded me of something.

"You're still wearing the suit, Smith."

I looked at myself. "Oh, right."

It might have looked a bit suspicious if I went out there wearing a black armored suit but the scientists had prepared for that too. I pressed a button on the wrist pad and the suit disguised itself holographic-ally into regular civilian clothes. Echo was disguised into a regular smart phone.

"Alright well, here we go," I said. I walked out of the alley, ready for any horrors or wonder only to be disappointed. It looked just like regular New York: traffic, people walking around minding their own business, tall skyscrapers, nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Well the scientists did say that some of the alternate worlds would have very little different… but what's different here?" I muttered. I followed the direction of the crowd, thinking of ways of finding out what was different about this world. After a few minutes I found myself sitting in a café, with Echo in front of me (still disguised as a phone).

"What do you think Echo?" I asked. The café was full of chatter so there was no way anyone would find me strange, just a guy talking to his phone.

"It doesn't appear any different from our world. I'm scanning historical events from this world via the Internet and it all matches Earth-616's history." Said Echo. I was feeling even more disappointed. There was no excitement here, I really couldn't tell the difference between this world and the regular one.

Then I saw a newspaper stand in the corner of the café that was virtually ignored. Just like in my universe, newspaper seemed to be neglected in this one too. I walked over to it and grabbed the newspaper on top. It was _the New York Times_ and the headline read:

_Reed Richards subject of controversy following latest invention_

Reed Richards… why did that name sound so familiar? I walked back to the table with the newspaper.

"Echo?" I asked.

"Yes, Smith?"

"Who is Reed Richards?"

"Give me a moment… Reed Richards is a world famous astronomer, inventor, father and husband. He is also known as Mr. Fantastic, a member of the superhero team the _Fantastic Four_."

"Mr. Fantastic!" I said. As far as I knew, Mr. Fantastic hadn't built anything new back in my regular universe. This must be the divergence of Earth-26, in other words the way that it was different from Earth-616.

"Echo, search the Internet for Reed Richards and invention." I ordered.

"As you wish."

I tossed the newspaper aside, I preferred Echo telling me straight what was different rather than me reading about it, maybe it's because I liked the dramatic effect of her telling me.

"I've found it, Smith." She said.

"Read it to me."

"Well it's a bit complicated. Do you remember the Superhero Civil War?"

"Yes. I believe I do." I said frowning. I remembered the Civil War, it had happened a few years ago. A team of inexperienced superheroes had been responsible for the accidental deaths of over 600 people, including children, in a town in Connecticut. I remember having been shocked at the news… the result had sparked a "Superhuman Registration Act" where superheroes had to register themselves with the government and reveal their secret identities. Eventually it led to Captain America and Iron Man leading teams of superheroes to fight each other over the issue. The event was referred to now as the "Civil War".

"In this universe, Mr. Fantastic created a device that strips superheroes of their abilities." She said.

"Strips?" I asked dumbfounded.

"I suppose the more accurate term would be takes. He created a device that takes away superhuman abilities. Thus the Superhuman Registration Act was not passed into law and the Civil War was prevented."

"Wait, then doesn't that mean?"

"Yes. There are no superheroes at all in this world." She said in her calm voice.

I sat back in my chair and took it all in. No superheroes. I had never thought of that. Ever since I was born, I was accustomed to seeing superheroes. It was a way of life and you took them for granted, like the sun or water. But a world without heroes…

I walked out of the café and observed the skyline. I now started to notice small changes from my world. The Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four, did not have a large 4 on the tower. It was being removed by cranes. A few minutes later I passed the Avengers Mansion. It was abandoned and a single news van was filming a reporter speaking into a microphone.

"The Avengers Mansion has been abandoned by its inhabitants and a decision has been taken to convert it into a museum," he reported, "In 2 years the Mansion will re-open to the public and feature a collection of Avengers items and information, it will tell the founding of the Avengers, describe their battles…"

He droned on and I looked at the Mansion. It held no glory anymore. It was just sad.

"I have found out more information about this Earth." Said Echo in my pocket.

"What is it?" I asked sadly.

"Since there are no superheroes, crime in this world is at an all-time high. The murder, theft, arson, rape, assault and other crime rates are significantly higher than the ones in Earth-616."

"How-how is the crime handled?"

"Police try their best but they are largely corrupt due to the higher presence of bribery. Non-super powered vigilantes fight back against crime but they are largely ineffective."

I kept walking. "No powers, no protectors, no hope," I said. I had had enough of this world.

"Echo, have you documented everything you've found?"

"Yes."

I walked into an alley and checked to see that I was alone.

"Disguise off."

The clothes went out revealing my black suit. This world was terrible, I decided privately. I never wanted to see it again.

I brought the watch up and pressed the blue button, saying goodbye to Earth-26 forever.


End file.
